Why was Albert Speer considered the 'Good Nazi'?

Answer 1

The most informative book that you can read on this subject was written by Speer himself and is titled . The principle reason that he is considered a good Nazi is his testimony at the Nurenberg war crimes trials. He claimed that he opposed slave labor,that he never knew about the mass murder of millions of Jews and that he countermanded Hitler's orders to destroy what was left of Germany rather than it fall into enemy hands. Since he was armaments minister and probably prolonged the war by excellent planning, he was given a long sentence and was 61 when released from a 20 year sentence. The contracdictions within Albert Speers own testomony are evidence that he was not the good Nazi. He said if Hitler ever had a friend it would have been Speer. But he claims to not have knowing anything about the final solution?

Answer 2

Most historians and sources will now agree that there is sufficient evidence to believe that Speer certainly could not have been innocent and 'amoral' as suggested (or even a 'Good Nazi" for that matter) but historians such as Joachim C. Fest have put forward some good arguments that support this theory.

Speer's morality concerning the treatment of slave labourers

His opposition towards Hitler's Scorched Earth policy

His memoirs containing citings of plans to gas Hitler in order to prevent the destruction of Germany

His rather apolitical tendencies

as Fest states, 'Speer was almost the only one of the accused to confess his own failure, without prevarication and without transparent excuses.' His honesty would thus give credence to his claims towards a lack of insight and knowledge of the Nazi Party's plans for the Jewish populace

His purported absence at Himmler's speech on the Final Solution